FAA extends Ferguson no-fly zone

The Federal Aviation Administration has extended its ban on low-flying planes over Ferguson, Missouri, for another week.

In a notice released Monday evening, the FAA said that the ban on aircraft flying at 3,000 feet and below will be in place through Aug. 25. The FAA initially instituted its ban Aug. 12, and it was set to expire Monday. As the agency reported last week, the reason for the ban is “to provide a safe environment for law enforcement activities.”

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The action coincides with an FAA ban of U.S. commercial flights over Syria, where the agency said the ongoing conflict between Syrian government and opposition forces provides a threat to safety. “The ongoing armed conflict and volatile security environment in Syria poses a serious potential threat to civil aviation,” the FAA said.

Violent demonstrations have continued to erupt in Ferguson almost on a nightly basis in the aftermath of the Aug, 9 fatal shooting of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson. After a relatively calm evening last Thursday, the violence ratcheted up over the weekend, with Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon instituting a midnight-5 a.m. curfew for Saturday and Sunday nights and deploying National Guard forces on Monday.